Deputies battle distribution of synthetic marijuana

Published 10:34 am, Saturday, February 2, 2013

“Everything old is new again,” said Peter Allen’s song. It seems that is true of mind-altering drugs and synthetic controlled substances as well.

Sergeant Kent Cole of the Randall County Sheriff’s Office shared a “new” substance abuse problem surfacing in Randall County that is really the revival of a 1960s drug substitute. “Synthetic marijuana is not really a new thing,” Cole began. “It’s coming back. It was made really popular in the 1960s. They used a substance called ‘Damiana.’ Back then it was brewed in tea and drunk This is basically a synthetic version of that.”

According to a RCSO training presentation, “Damiana is a shrub with yellow-brown aromatic leaves which is native to Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.”

“What it is closest to is Marijuana,” Cole said, although he noted that it does not contain the THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) that marijuana does, it does have a synthetic chemical compound that is similar to THC.

Cole said, “Through the progression of time, we went from LSD, PCP and all those other things to cocaine, crystal meth, heroin and things of that nature. Then they introduced methamphetamine.

Marijuana has always been a staple. It’s always been out there.

“With all these drugs being illegal, companies started manufacturing a synthetic that was similar to what was popular in the 60s, that was boiled in water, drank or inhaled through vapor. They went off that and made a compound that was similar to marijuana.”

In Randall County, there have been establishments marketing these illegal synthetics under the guise of incense and marked “not for human consumption.” Cole asserted that the label does nothing to change the fact that the chemical compounds in question are classified as controlled substances that are illegal to manufacture, sell or possess.

A former Army Ranger, Cole offered his observations of why people seem to turn to drug use.

“I think a lot of it is peer pressure,” he said. “To escape from reality, maybe. I cannot understand why anyone would want to be without their mental faculties. If anything bad were to happen, I want to be sure I’m on it. To take that away - I don’t see why anyone would want to do that.”

Randall County Sheriff Joel Richardson credited Cole with heading up the county’s investigations of the synthetic drug problem. The active raids of so called “head shops” began in October. Cole said, “The Randall County Sheriff’s Office has taken approximately 100 pounds of synthetic marijuana off the street from three different establishments.”

While there may be debate about what draws a user to drugs, for the dealer, the answer is clear. “It’s all about money,” Cole said. “In the drug business it doesn’t matter if you’re selling synthetic marijuana, cocaine, crystal meth or methamphetamine. It’s always about money. It’s not about anything else. It’s not about the drug dealer caring whether you get a good buzz. It’s about how much money you’re going to pay.”

As he executes search warrants, Cole said that he looks for the invoices and transaction records whenever possible. “Typically speaking these places are not keeping invoices for what they are paying for it and how they are buying it. I’ve found invoices before that indicate to me that at the very least they are doubling their money. The majority of the time I’m seeing bulk orders of one or more pounds and then package it in grams in the store and then sell it by the gram. Typically I’ve seen a gram of different substances run anywhere from $8 all the way up to $15 or $20 for a gram or a gram and a half.”

The Sheriff’s Office training presentation notes that there are 453.5 grams to the pound. At $10 per gram, one pound of the synthetic marijuana is valued at approximately $4,536 on the street.

Richardson reported, “We have run search warrants at ‘The Green Gorilla,’ ‘Up-In-Smoke’ and ‘Sonny Days,’ and have confiscated approximately 100 pounds of what we believe to be controlled substances.”

Richardson also reported in a recent presentation that the synthetic marijuana is more toxic than natural marijuana. Symptoms that users display are similar to what one might expect from marijuana users. Cole explained that symptoms he and the department officials have witnessed, or learned about from witnesses, include anxiety, agitation, panic attacks that have lead to suicide and self-mutilation, uncontrolled anger, confusion. “I know of a good organization in Amarillo right now that is doing a lot to curb this synthetic problem, and drugs in general, just talking to kids. She’s told me stories about some of the cases that have happened in Amarillo. Self-mutilation is a big thing.”

The department’s training presentation lists physiological effects as including seizures/tremors, coma/unconsciousness, vomiting, numbness/tingling, increased respiration rate, dangerously high blood pressure, heart damage, bleeding in the brain and death. Richardson noted that these symptoms occur as early as the first time the synthetics are used.

Cole said, “I write as many search warrants as I can. If I have a good search warrant I’m going to run it. It’s for the protection of our community. It’s for the protection of the citizens of Randall County and Amarillo and Canyon. If I can help keep this away from our kids, that’s what I’m going to do. But it all boils down to the parents talking to their kids, educating their kids, and just taking a stance against it. Speak out about it. If you don’t like it, tell somebody. If you see it happening, it needs to be reported. If kids see a problem, they need to say something. They need to fix it. You cannot just sit at the wayside and let people hurt themselves.”

Pointing out at least one local agency that he believes is taking the kind of stand he would like to see more people take, Cole said, “I have to plug LaViza Matthews at Impact Futures of Amarillo on that. They are really taking a good stance. I attend their meetings and they do speak out about drug use. They have a website (www.impactfutures.org) and she’s doing a lot. She had a town hall meeting with the people of Amarillo about banning anything bad for you. She’s a good lady and she’s doing what she can; I respect her a lot.”

Cole readily said that while he works hard at getting illegal substances off the street, he is just one player in a team working together. “Without the support of (District Attorney) James Farren and (Sheriff) Joel Richardson I would not have been able to do what I’ve done so far.”

He summarized his feelings on the subject by saying, “I talk with my kids about drugs and alcohol all the time. It is something I worry about. In the end, we have to police ourselves and do our part to make sure our schools are safe. It’s not always about a gun doing the damage. Drugs have been killing people more than any gun ever has.”

The sheriff’s office can use citizens’ help. Anyone who has been exposed to synthetic drugs or who has loved ones who have been, are encouraged to contact the Randall County Sheriff’s office at 468-5800. Citizen input and cooperation will help protect the community by getting dangerous and illegal drugs out of circulation.